ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!  

If you or someone you know is an Asian Hate Crime Victim, please reach out to us at
lwin@antiasianhatecrimescoalition.com

Recent Case Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Coalition (AHCC) helped: Asian Hate Crime Victim Aki Maehara, Vietnam Veteran, Professor and Historian of Racism in the U.S. with all the following:

Media | GoFundMe | Press Conference at Pico House - Chinese American Museum | Guest Speaker at Vincent Chin Rememerance 2025 at Chinese American Museum | Featured Speaker at Dr. Steven Pei (APAJustice.org) Call with Congresswoman Judy Chu and National Organizations: STOPAAPI and JACL as well as National Elected Officials: 

·  2025/05/22 Washington Post: Hate groups in the US decline but their influence grows, report shows

·  2025/05/22 LAist:  Civil rights leaders in LA say anti-Asian crimes have not let up since pandemic

·  2025/05/22 NBC LA:  Asian professor reeling from injuries in possible anti-Asian attack

·  2025/05/13 LA Times: Asian American professor who teaches history of racism attacked in possible hate crime

For over three decades, Aki Maehara has taught the history of racial beliefs and racism in both Colonial and U.S. history. A core lesson from his curriculum is that racism is not a modern issue but a deeply entrenched, systemic problem rooted in centuries of cultural and political development.

Maehara gave a detailed account of the attack he experienced, explaining that it was a byproduct of an atmosphere fueled and intensified over the past 12 years by certain social forces in the U.S

·         What Happened on April 29th

Maehara left the East Los Angeles College campus around 10:10 PM on his electric bike. At an intersection, he noticed headlights behind him. When he turned around, he saw a four-door midsize sedan with its headlights aimed directly at him. Just before impact, he heard someone yell and briefly saw the driver’s face.

He was thrown into the air and landed on the left side of his face. His body rolled across the concrete and eventually stopped against a brick wall on someone’s lawn. As the car drove away, he heard a racial slur targeting people of Chinese descent.

Maehara was discharged from the emergency room before noon the next day with multiple injuries: a cracked cheekbone, a concussion, a large bruise extending from his face down to his neck and chest, bruised ribs, a cut on his left elbow, bruises on both hips and lower back, along with scrapes and deep internal bruising. He later discovered that all of his teeth were cracked at the root. He now requires full upper and lower dental implants, which will cost tens of thousands of dollars and are not covered by insurance (1). A GoFundMe campaign has raised approximately $85,000.

·         Law Enforcement Procedures and Legal Concerns

When two police officers initially took the report, they failed to document key information provided by Maehara and did not pass it on to the detectives assigned to the case:

·         The identity of a potential suspect

·         Threats received in January and March

·         Prior police reports filed against the suspect

·         The pattern of harassment and threats leading up to the attack

Detectives visited Maehara two weeks later. They interviewed his housemate, who had video evidence, and collected contact information for his landlord, another witness to several incidents.

Maehara is working with the Asian American community in Los Angeles to explore a path forward—either through criminal prosecution or a social justice approach.

(1)   It is likely that the Victim's Compensation will reimburse the medical expenses.

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Pictures:

Press Conference (71 year old - Professor and Vietnam Veteran Aki Maehara)

May 22, 2025 at 11 am (PICO House) at Chinese American Museum - 424 N Main St Los Angeles, CA

#JUSTICE for Professor Aki Maehara Press Conference

WHO:

• Mitchell Matsumura | President | Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Greater Los Angeles

• David Monkawa | Chairman | The Save Our Seniors Network

• Aki Maehara | Professor and Vietnam Veteran | Asian Hate Crime Victim

• Connie Chung Joe | Chief Executive Officer |  Asian American Advancing Justice - Southern California

• Robin S. Toma |  Executive Director | The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations

• King Chung | Chinatown Community for Equitable Development

• Co-Founders | Asian American Civil Rights League and Coalition

• Brian Sun, Esq. | Board Member | The Alliance for Asian American Justice 

• Anonymous Metro Train Woman | Asian Hate Crime Victim May/2025 | May/2023 | July/2022

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With the connections AAHCC build (since 2020 - the height of media featuring Asian Hate Crimes) in our AAPI Communities across the United States, we assisted Asian Hate Crime Victim Aki Maehara, Vietnam Veteran, Professor and Historian of Racism in the U.S. to be featured on Dr. Steven Pei and Congresswoman Judy Chu platform (Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCcL7vS7tIs&sttick=0 )